I can’t imagine what it’s like for dedicated fans to see their team leave. To watch the field fall into disrepair.
Not long ago we in the Lehigh Valley were excited to receive a Triple A Minor league baseball team. These days we have the excitement of adding the Phantoms hockey team to the list of LV sports. This morning I sat staring at the results of the past few games against Norfolk. It’s been rough. (Norfolk is currently leading the IL South division. They are stomping everybody not just us.) Excuses aside, The Pigs are losing. Some are talking about it and some aren’t. You can feel how you want about it and honestly, I’m not smiling but I’m not sad.
I’m not sad one bit.
I do feel some empathy for those in Ottawa and Glenn Falls, NY. Ottawa lost their team when they decided to move here to the Lehigh Valley. Glenn Falls will lose the Phantoms as soon as the Allentown Arena is completed. Granted, fan and community support may have been lacking but you know there are fans out there who were season ticket holders. Fans who showed up at every game and spent all they could to support the teams.
Does it hit me in the gut every time the Pigs lose? Yeah, it does.
Am I sad? Not one bit. I’m thankful to have these teams here and know there is no guarantee that they will always be here.
With that said… Let’s get back to baseball.
The Pigs are nearing the basement of the International League. Currently in 4th place in the North division a 16-24 record leaves them just .5 game ahead of Rochester and 1 game ahead of Syracuse. Only Gwinnett, Charlotte and Toledo have slightly worse records. Just 3.5 games from the bottom of the IL league. Not great at all.
Looking at their opponents recently Norfolk has the best record in the IL at 29-12, Durham is 25-16, while Louisville is 20-21 and Indianapolis is 29-13. The Pigs are taking on the chin this month but their opponents are certainly no push overs. I’d look for the Pigs to level out their record soon with Rochester 16-25 and Gwinnett 16-26 coming up.
Walks have hurt. Errors have hurt. For some hitters even Nell Carter couldn’t give them a break.
What do the IronPigs need to do?
They need to start doing the basics correctly every time. It’s not as easy as you think. Throw strikes. Field the ball. Hit the ball where they ain’t.
I’m behind this team. You should be too.
Hey, it’s only May!
OinK!
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
Agreed!
side note though, I know the brooks brothers are working very closely with Glenn Falls to get a hockey team in the stadium by the time they leave.
Yeah, local press in the Albany area even contacted the mighty Noise Nation to look for suggestions on how to attract a new team…
Gotta update the old barn, methinks….
Where is little ole’ Glens Falls gonna get the money to do these ‘barn updates’? … Do you think the rest of the citizenry in the entire state of New York would be cool if Glens Falls hammered through a “Neighborhood Improvement Zone” law to swallow up their tax monies? … $ 177.1 million dollars is a lot of entitlement spending that could be used on other programs to benefit the community … What will Nanny Bloomberg, for one, say? … Bill White’s “If I’d lived in, say, Altoona” line was priceless, for those who saw that classic piece of propaganda …
PS – if you think the IronPigs don’t win games, kindly check out the historical record and patiently wait until the Phantoms get here. Happy developing players. See you in Sochi. 😉